The invention relates to a device for cooling a component in a vehicle by means of a cooling air flow. The invention further relates to a method for cooling a component in a vehicle by means of this device.
Such a device is used for cooling components in vehicles. The cooling is used to discharge heat which is produced by means of losses into the environment. Sources of power loss and consequently heat development are present in a vehicle in many forms. These include in particular mechanical or electrical power losses. Examples of mechanical power loss include in a conventionally driven vehicle the internal combustion engine. Electrical power losses may be produced in the components of the electrical drive train or in an energy store. The cooling can be achieved in that the component which is intended to be cooled is directly passed over by a cooling air flow. Another possibility is first discharging the heat into a fluid which is subsequently discharged into the ambient air by means of a heat exchanger, also referred to as a cooler. In both cases, an air flow which discharges the heat into the environment is required.
In current vehicles, the cooling of components is, on the one hand, carried out by travel wind flowing past. Should this not be sufficient or if no travel wind is present at the relevant location, there are used a large number of fans or ventilators which produce a corresponding air flow. In aircraft which are recently also electrically driven, there are also integrated in load-bearing surfaces batteries which are cooled by means of fans or ventilators inside the load-bearing surface by means of an air circulation.